


Beshert

by xslytherclawx



Series: Chanukah 5779 [10]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bisexual Newt Scamander, Bisexual Tina Goldstein, F/M, Hanukkah, Jewish Character, Jewish Holidays, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmate-Identifying Timers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-13 07:51:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16888545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xslytherclawx/pseuds/xslytherclawx
Summary: There are dozens of ways to find your soulmate.All Newt Scamander knows is that Leta Lestrange is not his, which means that his soulmate must be out there somewhere.Tina Goldstein has more important things to worry about than soulmates, although her sister, Queenie, is fussing over her soulmate timer as the seconds dwindle.





	1. Newt & Tina.

**Author's Note:**

> This plays out canon-complaint (I mean, with the addition of soulmates) for a bit, but it does diverge.
> 
> This one is fun, because one chapter is Newtina, and the other is Jakweenie! It made more sense to put them in the same fic
> 
> Beshert is yiddish for destiny, but it's also a term that's used for soulmates.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt Scamander and Tina Goldstein were born with words on their wrists. Leta Lestrange was not.

He’s had the words on his wrist for as long as he can remember. One of his earliest memories is of him asking Theseus – doubtlessly home for holidays from Hogwarts – to read them aloud. “Who are you?”

They’re actually fairly common, as far as soulmate words are concerned. Newt finds it slightly disappointing that it’s nothing unique enough to tell – well,  _ anything _ about his soulmate’s identity. Not until he meets them and they say those words.

He tells Leta in third year, and she looks over his wrist with keen eyes, making out the thin white words that nearly look like a scar. She grins, then, tracing a finger over his words, “You know, Newt, this could be a man’s handwriting…”

He blushes, although he knows this is likely Leta’s way of trying to get a rise out of him (she won’t disrespect creatures, which is the only surefire way, with him, so she tries to be creative sometimes). “It’s – certainly possible.”

“You really think so?” Leta asks, raising an eyebrow.

Newt shrugs. “It’s soulmate magic. Who’s really to know?”

“You think it  _ could _ be a man?” 

“Could be,” Newt agrees. “Or a woman.”

Leta looks at him like she doesn’t know what to think. Newt knows, of course, that it’s not Leta, because she’d never said his words, and sometimes, like right now, that hurts, a bit. But he’d never tell her that, because his feelings are his and there’s no need to make her feel like she should have to do anything she’s not enthusiastically in favour of. 

And if it’s not Leta, then, as far as Newt is concerned, it is perfectly equally likely that his soulmate is a wizard as it is that his soulmate is a witch.

“Would you be disappointed?” Leta asks. “If it  _ were _ a man?”

Newt considers it. His mother would be, certainly, although Theseus would likely accept it as one of Newt’s many oddities and move on quickly enough. “I think  _ I’d _ only be disappointed if – whoever it is, witch or wizard – doesn’t care about creatures, although, truthfully, I rather think that’s unlikely, myself.”

“Oh,” Leta says.

“Have you met your soulmate yet?” Newt asks. “You’ve never said.”

Leta shakes her head, and though she tries to hide it, she looks pained. Newt’s sorry he asked. “I don’t think I have one.”

“Everyone’s got one,” Newt says.

“Not me. I haven’t got – words, or a timer, or a soulmark, or a string, or – anything.”

“That doesn’t mean you  _ haven’t got one,” _ Newt says. “There are countless ways of finding your soulmate – of knowing that you’ve found them – and not all of them are immediately visually obvious.”

* * *

Of course Leta’s soulmate is Theseus. Of course.

He’s known since he met Leta that she wasn’t his soulmate, but somehow he had never considered that hers might be his older brother. After all, he’d known his whole life that Theseus hadn’t had any visual mark of his soulmate. Just like Leta.

He tells himself he’s happy for them – he tells  _ them _ he’s happy for them – and he ships off the next day for the Eastern Front. He keeps a photograph of Leta, and tells himself that it’s simply because she’s been his best friend for years – his only friend, really.

He says the same to the Russian Dragonologist he meets on the Front. Newt is eighteen and it’s far too easy to fall in love with this handsome wizard with a wife at home in Russia. He, like Leta, is not Newt’s soulmate (his first words to Newt had been a stilted ‘hello’, and Newt knows enough to know that most people who  _ do _ have words have some form of ‘hello’, even if he does not), but unlike Leta, he’s clearly interested in Newt – and Newt accepts the affection behind closed doors.

It’s wrong, he knows – being with someone when they’ve got someone waiting for them at home – but he’s eighteen and the world is at war and Leta and his brother are  _ soulmates, _ and Newt still has yet to meet his own.

* * *

Queenie has a timer. Tina thinks, sometimes, that she might prefer that; timers are exact and the only anxiety one could have over them was the  _ when. _ But Tina has words on her wrist, white like a scar, and they’ve alarmed her ever since she first had Mame read them out to her as a child: “So sorry.”

Sorry for what? Sorry for bumping into her? For spilling ink on her notes? Or sorry for something much less innocuous? She has no way to know. 

She thought about it a lot as a child – what kind of person was her soulmate? Was he (or she; by age fourteen or so she started to accept that her soulmate  _ could _ be another witch) kind and compassionate?

But over the years, she’s stopped paying much mind to the words on her wrist. Her parents were soulmates, after all; that didn’t bring them back to life, and it hadn’t prevented them from getting sick and dying and leaving two small girls alone in the world.

She has bigger things to worry about than her soulmate, like keeping her job, making sure she and Queenie have a place to live and enough food to eat to avoid starvation (and, later, to stay mostly healthy).

Queenie is getting really unbearable about it, lately, though, mostly due to the fact that her timer now has just a few days left. 

“I’m gonna meet him during Chanukah, Teen! How romantic! I wonder if he’s Jewish, too?”

“You’ll marry him even if he isn’t,” Tina says, because she knows her sister.

“Oh, I know,” Queenie says, “but I sorta think it’d be perfect if he is.”

* * *

Tina doesn’t expect to meet her soulmate at a Second Salemer’s gathering – she’s certainly not supposed to be there, and if anyone recognizes her, then she can count herself out of work. She’s not really very concerned about Mary Lou’s rhetoric or even how it affects Muggles around them, but she does search out Credence, who looks cowed and terrified but physically well. Something in her aches, but she knows she can’t intervene.

She turns, then, to her hot dog and noshes on it when someone bumps into her. She feels rather than hears the words as he says them in an accent that is  _ definitely _ not from around here: “So sorry.”

Her wrist is burning, and she nearly drops her hot dog as she gawks after him. He stops, and looks right at her, but she can’t think fast enough to respond. He’s handsome, though, and tall and thin, with wiry reddish hair – and then he’s gone, lost in the crowd.

Well, shit.

* * *

Newt’s first coherent thought, beyond a sense of annoyance, is about how beautiful she is. But then she snaps at him, which isn’t much in itself, except for the fact that she snaps  _ his words _ and his wrist  _ burns _ as the words, he knows, turn black.

“Who are you?”

“I’m sorry,” he says, and he’s not sure if he’s apologising for being – well,  _ himself _ – or if he’s asking her to repeat herself.

“Who are you?” she repeats. She looks to be around his age – in her late twenties or so – and she looks vaguely panicked, although he’s not sure whether that’s because of the apparent robbery (successful recapturing of his Niffler) or because she’s just met her soulmate, or any combination of the two.

“Newt Scamander, and you are?” he tries, because he needs to know her name, and surely she knows that.

“What’s that thing in your case?”

He remembers that he’s in New York – in  _ America, _ with its backwards laws (and even in London, a Niffler getting out a Muggle bank would likely cause some witches and wizards to be concerned about a statute violation), and wonders if her panic is because of  _ that. _ “That’s my Niffler. Say, you’ve got something on your –” He goes to wipe the sauce off of her upper lip, and she leans back – away from him.

He’s really got his work cut out for him, here.

“Why in the name of Deliverance Dane did you let that thing loose?”

“I didn’t mean to; he’s incorrigible; he sees anything shiny and he’s all over it,” Newt says, because that’s the truth and the Niffler, while adorable and sometimes useful, can be a proper pain.

“You didn’t mean to?”

“No,” Newt says. “I’m sorry – it’s just that – unless I’m gravely mistaken, we  _ are _ soulmates, and I don’t even know your  _ name.” _

She pulls out a badge and shows it to him. “Tina Goldstein.”

He knows the look of a Ministry badge, and this has it; a closer look reveals that his suspicion was right, and he’s looking at a badge for a MACUSA employee. “You’re with MACUSA?”

Tina Goldstein – what a beautiful name, really – nods. “Please tell me you at least obliviated the No-Maj.”

“I’m sorry, the what?”

“No-Maj,” Tina repeats. “Non-Wizard.”

“Oh!” Newt says. “You see, where I’m from, we call them Muggles, and I, er – no, I meant to, you see, but he got away.”

“He got away?”

“Yes.”

Tina sighs. “I should take you in for that.”

He catches the conditional clause in her statement, and starts. “Should?”

Tina worries at her lower lip, which Newt finds  _ adorable, _ and looks to him. “I’m not supposed to be around the Second Salemers. I can lose my job.”

“We could – try to find him,” Newt offers.

“My sister would never let me live it down if I arrested my soulmate,” Tina says. “I don’t think we have another option.”


	2. Queenie.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Queenie was born with a timer on her wrist, and it's counting down.

Queenie Goldstein was born with a timer on her arm, and she’s known as long as she could remember that when the clock hits zero, it would mean that she’s met her soulmate. The numbers seemed impossibly large, when she was younger, and more than once, she attempted to determine just how long she had to wait, because the count was in _seconds._

Every time, it said she’d be nearly twenty-four, which seemed, for so long, to be _impossibly_ old.

Her sister, Tina, has rotten luck of it: she has words. “So sorry” written in a careful script. Words are nice and all (though maybe not those words exactly), but it doesn't give you any idea of _when._ Queenie likes the security of knowing when she’ll meet her soulmate, although she's always hoped it wouldn’t be in a crowd. Wouldn’t that just be rotten?

Still, it's impossible not to be excited as her numbers counted down. When she has a week left, she coos to Tina that it's finally  _happening,_ and that it would be during Chanukah, which is just perfect.

* * *

Her timer is running down, and she knows it, but she just can’t decide on what to wear.  It’s between a pink dress and a blue one – she wants to look _perfect._ She _needs_ to look perfect; this is her soulmate after all, and you only get one chance to make a first impression.

The door opens, and her timer has _seconds_ left – when had it turned from hours to seconds? – so she looks out to the front room. She’s wearing her camisole, and little else, but it’s three two one zero, and she sees two men in the apartment.

“Teenie,” she says in her most seductive voice, because _one of_ these men is her soulmate, and it won’t take long to find out which. “You brought men home.”

“Gentlemen, this is my sister,” Tina says. Queenie smiles at them and bites her lip; their thoughts are clear: the tall skinny one is _Tina’s_ soulmate (Tina has found her soulmate, too, and on the same day! It _must_ be beshert!), and the shorter one is thinking predictably about her. “Do you want to put something on, Queenie?”

“Oh,” Queenie says, “sure.” And she puts on the blue dress, simply because it’s closest, and looks directly at the shorter man, her soulmate.

“So,” she says, “who are they?” She tries not to pry too much, because this is her soulmate, and that’s not the sort of thing you do before you’ve even had a proper date.

“That’s Mr. Scamander,” Tina says, which is just like her. He’s her _soulmate;_ Queenie thinks that warrants a first-name basis. “He’s committed a serious infraction of the national statute of secrecy.”

“He’s a criminal?” she asks, and how _unlike_ Tina! Her soulmate is a criminal! Oh, she must be livid!

“Uh-huh,” Tina says, “and that’s Mr. Kowalski. He’s a No-Maj.”

“A No-Maj!” Queenie exclaims. She looks him up and down. How exciting! She doesn’t think about the law, not now; besides, Tina’s soulmate is a criminal – she just said as much. The three of them can go on the run if they have to. “Teenie, what are you up to?”

“He’s sick,” Tina says. “It’s a long story.”

Mr. Scamander seems to think that Mr. Kowalski will recover just fine, and he seems confident, as far as she can tell (she _does_ have trouble, sometimes, with Brits – it’s the accent), so she moves on to the more pressing matter: “Does it include the part where you found out that your soulmate is a criminal? And British?”

Tina gives her one of her patented Disappointed looks.

“You’re a Legilimens!” Mr. Scamander says.

“Mmhm!” Queenie hums. There’s no hiding it.

“Don’t you have to go out to meet your soulmate?” Tina asks.

“Oh, no,” Queenie says, looking at Mr. Kowalski. “You see, I’ve already met mine.”

Tina is too clever by half, and looks from Queenie to Mr. Kowalski. “Him?”

“Well, it’s not going to be your soulmate, unless he’s also got a timer. Besides, it’s not unheard of to have a No-Maj soulmate.” She’s just never imagined she’d be one of those witches – not until today.

“I haven’t got a timer, no,” Mr. Scamander says. “Just the words.”

Tina’s words. Oh, Queenie wishes Tina could see what he’s thinking, because Mr. Scamander is a treasure and if anyone can mess this all up, it’s her sister. She decides to put her all into helping them sort things out, because Mr. Kowalski seems to be pretty straightforward.

“It’s Chanukah,” Queenie announces. “We should celebrate.”

Her sister’s protests almost reach out to her, but she ignores them. “Do you prefer pie or strudel?”

“I – either’s fine,” says Mr. Scamander.

She reaches toward Mr. Kowalski – Jacob, his thoughts supply helpfully – with her mind. Strudel. Definitely strudel, but better something fried for Chanukah.

“We haven’t got anything to fry,” Queenie says. “Just latkes. I suppose I can try to make fritters. Little apple strudel fritters.”

Tina sighs. “Fine.”

So Queenie cooks, because she knows she can win Jacob over with her cooking, and Tina sets up the menorah and candles.

Queenie sets the food on the table with her most charming smile. “Apple strudel fritters,” she announces. “And a roast.”

If she happened to make Jacob’s favorite meal – well, that’s a funny coincidence, isn’t it?

She follows Tina in the blessings, more to give her sister some control over the situation than anything, and she notices with delight that Jacob sings along. Mr. Scamander does not, and Queenie doesn’t have to reach out to her sister to know that she does feel a bit sour about her soulmate being a goy – but there’s nothing to do for it, and she can tell that Mr. Scamander is curious about their traditions – and that he hasn’t spent Christmas with his family since before the war.

Well, that’s just sad.

She portions out the food and makes eyes at Jacob across the table. “You bake, sweetie?” she asks.

Jacob still looks a little unsure of himself, but he nods easily enough. “Yeah. Mostly my grandmother’s recipes.”

“I love a man who can bake,” Queenie says. “I like cooking, and all – Tina’s the career girl – but it’s nicer to have someone cooking with you.”

“We should trade recipes sometime,” Jacob says.

Queenie bites back a squeal of delight. “Oh, I’d _love_ that!”

“Did you say – earlier, that I’m your _soulmate?”_

“Uh-huh, yeah!” Queenie says. She pulls up her sleeve to show Jacob her timer. “I was born with this on my arm – it’s a part of some real ancient magic, and no one really knows where it came from, but all witches and wizards have one – and it’s been counting down my whole life. It hit zero right when you and Mr. Scamander came in, and he’s already Teenie’s soulmate.” She looks from Tina to Mr. Scamander. “Did you show him?”

Tina shakes her head. “Why would we show him?”

“I don’t mind,” Mr. Scamander says, rolling up his sleeve to reveal words in Tina’s handwriting, _Who are you?_

“Teenie!” Queenie scolds. “How rude of you! And your soulmate!”

“Rude of _me?”_ Tina asks. “His first words to me were ‘so sorry’!”

“Because I bumped into you – and I am sorry.”

“Teen, he’s an absolute _gem,”_ Queenie said. “And he’s your _soulmate._ You can’t take that kinda thing for granted. Lots of people never meet theirs.”

“Some people never meet their soulmate?” Jacob asks.

“Well, we knew we would, with the way our markers were,” Queenie said, “but some of them – sometimes, you never meet ‘em. There’s nothing you can do. It’s not always as easy as it is here.”

She can hear Tina’s thoughts, accusing. _Easy? He’s a criminal! And he’s British! Am I supposed to give up everything for a man?_

“I didn’t say that, Teenie,” Queenie says. “And I think criminal is a little harsh – his creatures escaped of their own accord, and he got his suitcase mixed up with Mr. Kowalski’s. It’s an honest mistake, even if it is breaking the law.”

Tina and Mr. Scamander look at each other.

“Really, I’m the one who’s gonna have to figure something out here,” Queenie says. _“Your_ soulmate’s a wizard.”

Tina looks guilty, then, and her thoughts are more of the same. “I’m sorry.”

“What’s me not being a wizard got to do with anything?” Jacob asks.

“We’re not allowed to marry non-wizards,” Queenie says. “But you can do that in England, can’t you, Mr. Scamander.”

“I, er, yes,” Mr. Scamander says. “You can. Truthfully, I’ve always found the laws here regarding Muggles to be quite – backwards and outdated, especially considering what’s going on in Europe.”

“Then that’s an option,” Queenie says, “we can talk about it. We’ve got plenty of time.” She bats her eyelashes at Jacob, and he blushes the most delightful shade of red.

Yes, Queenie thinks this will work out just fine.


End file.
